Sephora Face Complexion Brush

Back in the summer, on one of my trips to France, I had a mental shopping list of everything that I needed wanted to buy in Sephora. Naturally, I went a little overboard and ended up buying  quite a few thing that definitely were not on my list, but were items that I was adamant I had to have. The Sephora Face Complexion Brush was one of them, and let me tell you that it really is a little gem.

I had been on the look out for a cleansing brush for a long time, but could never quite justify some of the high prices of the ones that were on my wish list. I was also a little wary of spending that much money, just in case it did absolutely nothing at all for my skin. Luckily this was only around the 6 Euro mark, so I just chucked it in my basket. 

To incorporate this into my cleansing routine, I use my regular Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm to remove the main bulk of my makeup. After this, I apply a little of my beloved La Roche Posay Effaclar Foaming Gel to my face and start to work it into the skin with this brush. It is definitely a match made in Sephora heaven. The brush helps to easily distribute the product around my face and get into all those difficult knooks and crannys, like around the nose area. It isn't at all too abrasive on my skin, which is something that I was worried about. Once I've finished, a quick rinse and it's done. I'll deep clean this once a week with my makeup brushes and it cleans like a dream. 

I'm head over heels in love with this brush and it has become a staple in my skin care routine. You can find this on the Sephora website here.

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The Popular in 2014 Post

Well hello there 2015, how quickly you came around. As I wake up this morning with tired eyes and a sore head, I thought it would be nice to reflect on 2014. The past year wasn't my best blogging year, there were some months when I didn't post at all, simply because my heart wasn't in it. However, I'm firmly back in the swing of things and can't wait for this years antics. Without further ado, here are my five most popular posts from 2014...

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel

This was one of my most favourite buys of 2014 and it has been a game changer. I wasn't surprised that this was in my most popular posts, as us beauty bloggers tend to go wild for French pharmacy product.

A Weekend In Amsterdam

Back in April I was lucky enough to go for a weekend in Amsterdam*, thanks to my Fiances job. Amsterdam is one of my most favourite destinations and I know I'll be going back for a third time sometime in the future. Travel is a huge hobby of mine, so I loved writing this post.

Makeup Revolution Make Believe Palette

Every single post about Makeup Revolution has been huge in the past year. They really have taken the beauty world by storm and have quickly become one of my favourite brands. This palette was one of the first products I had from them, and it's still a firm favourite today. If you haven't tried MR yet there are a ton of products for everyone and they're so purse friendly.

Battle of the Base: Foundation Edition

At the beginning of the year, I had a rummage through my stash and found that I had quite a few foundations. I realised that I used these all for different reasons, some being full coverage, some being natural and others being slightly different shades for summer. I decided to put them all to the test and figure out which I used the most. It was quite fun doing this post and I think Ill definitely be doing more.

Makeup Revolution I Heart Makeup Goddess of Love Highlighter

My most popular post in 2014 was for this little beauty. I'm really not surprised that this was the one that everyone loved the most. As a highlighter fiend, I added this to my collection with no hesitation and it seems that you all loved it just as much too.

So those were my most popular posts of the last year. I just want to thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to continue being a part of this lovely community.

I hope that you all had a wonderful night last, and wish you all a very Happy New Year!

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The Winter Face

It only occurred to me a few days ago that I've pretty much been wearing the same makeup look over and over for almost the whole of winter. Normally in winter, I would be wearing some sort of jewel tone on my eyes, because I really think that these shades were made with winter in mind. This year though, black liquid has been my best pal, and there hasn't been a day gone by when I haven't sported a slick of it.

My makeup has been pretty simple, but with statement eyes. Kind of like a simple statement. For my skin, I've been all about the glow. Anything that could give me a faux glow, it's been on my face. So, with this in mind, my foundation of choice has been L'Oreal True Match in the shade Golden Beige. This is a medium coverage foundation with the most flawless and natural finish. I love that when I have this on, it looks like there is nothing on my skin at all. I've been setting this with MAC Sheer Select Pressed Powder in NW20, to keep any extra oil under control. For the added glow, Makeup Revolution Blush Palette in Golden Sugar has been the one. Perfect for warming up the face a touch, adding a little blush and highlight all at the same time, you can find my full review of it here. 

For the eyes, I haven't been using much at all really. For the brows, I've been running a little bit of Makeup Revolution Ultra Aqua Brow Tint in the shade medium, just for a little definition. I haven't been using many shadows which is quite unlike me, but I have been adding a quick wash of colour. My shadow of choice has been MAC All That Glitter eyeshadow which never fails me. For liner, Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner is my absolute fave. I've been applying this thicker than usual and adding a flick on the end. To finish, a few coats of Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara to give my lashes some body to them, followed by a slick of MAC Creme Cup mascara, and the jobs a good 'un.

I've been wearing this look so much for the past few weeks, so much so that I can't see myself changing it any time soon. What has been your winter look?

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The Wedding Series #5: The Guest List

Some of you might have noticed that on my Twitter I have been extremely excited lately, and for a good reason. We have finally set a date and booked a venue for our wedding! Eeeeekkk! It's all starting to feel very real now and I am in full wedding planning mode. 

As we have quite a way to go until the date, 24th September 2016, I'm concious that it's going to come round really fast. Plenty of people have told me how quickly it is going to be here, so I'm starting to get everything together now and hopefully I'll be organised in plenty of time. I thought that today I would share my thoughts on one of the bits that I have found the most stressful and that is writing the guest list. 

After finding a venue, putting together a guest list has been without a doubt the most stressful part of planning our wedding. I have sat down to write ours and have found my mind going blank or getting half way through and being distracted. I also had to take into consideration the numbers that our venue would allow. For example, we have booked a package deal which allows us to have 60 guests, and then any extra guests on top of that have be paid for per head. This was fine with us which is why we booked this package, however, it is so easy to get a little carried away. 

Things to take into consideration:

 - Work out the number of guests that you want to invite/that your venue will allow?

- Prioritise people. As horrible as this sounds, some guests will be more important than others. Start with your immediate family and then continue from there.

- Understand that not everyone will be able to make it so set an RSVP date.

- Decide whether you will allow plus ones and children. Everyone counts towards numbers.

- Make two lists, one for your ceremony and reception, and one for your evening reception.

- Have you spoken to them in the last year? If it's a no and without good reason then do you need them at your wedding?

I'm so pleased that ours has finally been done and all that is left to do is send the invites. I've got a couple more wedding related things going on this week, so there will be more posts in the wedding series soon :)

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ELF Tone Correcting Powder in Cool

A while ago, I placed quite a large ELF order and whilst I didn't need anything in particular, curiosity got the better of me with quite a few items and this was certainly one of them. I didn't need a new ace powder by any means, but when do I ever need half the makeup items I buy?

The Tone Correcting Powder is designed to give a healthy, balanced and radiant complexion as a result of the different tones within the powder. ELF claim that the powder evens out skin tone, at the same time as giving a matte and brightened complexion. If you wanted to, you could use the colours individually to counteract different needs on the skin, for example green on and redness and yellow on dark circles. However, I find it is best to use them all together and swirl my brush around the pan. I have noticed that it does brighten my skin and reduces the appearance of my pores. My favourite thing though is that this is amazing at setting my under eye concealer! It is worth it just for that!

Having oily skin, a powder is a must for me and finding one that can keep the oil at bay is a never ending quest. I have found that whilst this does reduce the excess oil, I do need to ensure that this is in my handbag as I will need a top up after around 4-5 hours. I apply this in circular motions all over my face with my trusty Real Techniques Powder Brush, paying a little more attention to my T-Zone. When swatched, this powder can look a little grey and ashen, so I was worried that this would translate onto my face, but it actually blends out to be invisible and is less detectable than some so call 'translucent' powders.

Overall, I have enjoyed using this powder and would be tempted to buy the Warm and Shimmer versions to see how they compare. For £3.95, you really can't go wrong? You can purchase this from the ELF Website - link

Have you tried this powder? 

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My Night Out Makeup

Nights out are few and far between for me. Whilst I was at Uni I would be out most nights and all I would have to show for it would be a raging hangover and a deep hole in my bank account! Now though, I find myself going out and actually enjoying making some memories, with meals out and some drinks with friends. Last night, Olly and I went out with some friends for a delicious meal and a catch up. I had been looking forward to it all week and had such a lovely night. I also really enjoyed getting ready, as I always do, but I just felt really relaxed and used some new products. So, I thought that it would be nice to share with you Face of the Evening and the makeup bits and bobs that I used.

Base:

Monu Firming Moisturiser (review coming soon!)

Bourjois CC Eye Cream

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation NW20

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NW20

ELF All Over Cover Stick Apricot Beige

Face:

Maybelline Fit Me Powder 125 Nude Beige

ELF Bronzer Cool (review coming soon!)

MAC Fleur Power Blusher

ELF Shimmering Facial Whip Lilac Petal

Benefit Browzings

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion Original

Stila In The Light Palette

Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Liner

Soap and Glory Thick and Fast Mascara

Lips:

MAC Lipstick Creme Cup

MAC Dazzleglass Baby Sparks

Hair:

L'oreal Elvive Triple Resist Enforcing Shampoo and Conditioner

Moroccan Oil

Left to air dry 

Styled with GHD Irons

Aussie High Shine Hairspray

Wow, that was a lot of products! I really liked this makeup look and think that I'll probably wear it more often. I wanted something with a classic look so thought a soft neutral eye with a bit of depth would go well with a soft pink lip. 

What is your night out makeup?

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On Wednesday, We Wear Pink

Okay, so that wasn't supposed to the title to this post, but when I realised that I was going to be posting it today and that it was pink related, it really couldn't have been anything else. Right? 

Well, on Monday I was looking through my makeup collection, trying to switch up products in my bag ready for my weekend away and for the spring season. It dawned on me that I own a lot of pink makeup products, mainly lipsticks and glosses but there were other things thrown in there too. To be really honest, I'm not sure why I own them because I never wear them. I thought that I would grab a few products and attempt to make them work for me. I was pretty pleased with what I came up with and think that my pink products are going to get a lot more lovin'.

For my base, I used my newly purchased and much loved L'oreal Lumi Magique foundation in Rose Beige and MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20.

The eyes was where I was really worried about placing pink eyeshadow because it made me think of when I was about 12 and was in love with a very chalky and powdery eyeshadow that was the most ridiculous shade of hot pink. I used my Sephora Colour Pop-Up Makeup Store, which you can read about here. This is wonderful for any makeup look as it has all sorts of shades and finishes. You can use any other palette with pinks in, as I'm aware that you might not have this. If you wanted to purchase it, it is only available from the European Sephora website or on Ebay. I used two of the pink shades, one being more peachy and the other being a soft pink, I mixed the two and really softly applied them to the lid, so that there would be a hint of colour but nothing too much. I blended out with a neutral matte taupe and I finished with a highlight and mascara.

For my cheeks, I decided not to apply my usual bronzer as I wanted the blush to be solo. I applied MAC Fleur Power Blusher with a stippling brush to add a natural flush of colour to the apples of my cheeks.

Lips was where I knew I was going to struggle, because I had so many pinks to choose from. I ended up choosing Maybelline Colour Sensational lipstick in Fuchsia Flash. This is an extremely bright blue toned pink and it was a little much for the look I was going for. I decided to just dab it onto my lips and blend it out with my fingers to give it a toned down look.

So, that was my pink wearing post. I think I'm probably going to wear this look a little more often throughout Spring. What do you think to wearing pink?

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Retro Makeup: 1920's Flapper Girl

At the weekend, whilst watching my current favourite TV show, Mr Selfridge, I had a little bit of a brainwave. I was thinking about my blog name and how I should have really put more thought into it when I first started. All the while, I was admiring the pretty makeup on the ladies in Mr.S and I came up with a new series. In honour of my blogs name, each week I am going to do a makup look based on different decades. I have always had a love of retro/vintage things so I'm really excited to be doing this series.

To kick things off, I have started with a 1920's Flapper Girl makeup. Before I started  did a little research into the sort of makeup that was worn in the 20's and it was quite interesting to say the least. I loved finding out about the brands that were around then and are still around now and the products that they had on the market. In fact, I really enjoyed reading about it all so I'm probably going to do a separate post on it all, to save this one from being really long. On to the make up look...

From the pictures that I saw and from the TV shows that I watched, this was the look I came up with. one thing I did notice was how bold the shades were, that were used, especially for a time when a females rights were not a high priority. The dark eyes and very red lips were what I really wanted to capture, along with the porcelain skin, something very different to my everyday look.

Products used:

Rimmel Match Perfect in 103 True Ivory. This is a few shades lighter than my normal foundation, so it worked well.

MAC Coquette Eyeshadow for my brows. 

Sleek Au Naturel Palette. Shades Toast, Regal and Noir.

Urban Decay Zero 24/7 Liner

MAC Opulash Mascara

MUA Creme Blush in Dolly

MAC Russian Red Lipstick

NYX Clear Gloss

I had so much fun doing this and really like the way it came out. I can't wait to do the other looks for this series!

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